Steven Whitman (1943–2014) was an American social epidemiologist and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

researcher.

Early life and education

Whitman grew up in a poor household in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He received his master's degree in

biometrics Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics and features. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used t ...

from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

in 1964, followed by a master's degree in

biostatistics Biostatistics (also known as biometry) is a branch of statistics that applies statistical methods to a wide range of topics in biology. It encompasses the design of biological experiments, the collection and analysis of data from those experimen ...

from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1968. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in biostatistics from Yale in 1969.

Career

Whitman joined the faculty of

Miles College Miles College is a private historically black college in Fairfield, Alabama. Founded in 1898, it is associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME Church) and a member of the United Negro College Fund. History Miles College b ...

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

after graduating from Yale. He also taught at other institutions in Birmingham, such as Holy Family Catholic High School, before joining the faculty of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

in 1978. At Northwestern, he was a senior epidemiologist at the Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research (since renamed the Institute for Policy Research) from 1978 to 1991. In 1991, he left the faculty of Northwestern to join the

Chicago Department of Public Health The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is a government department of the City of Chicago. The purpose of the CDPH is to create a thriving and healthy community within the city of Chicago, Illinois by providing guidance, services and strat ...

as deputy commissioner and director of the

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

program. In 2000, he was hired to found the Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI), at which point he left the Chicago Department of Public Health. He served the head of the SUHI from 2000 until his death.

Research

As head of the Chicago Department of Public Health's epidemiology program, Whitman played a major role in studying and explaining the

1995 Chicago heat wave The July 1995 Chicago heat wave led to 739 heat-related deaths in Chicago over a period of five days. Most of the victims of the heat wave were elderly poor residents of the city, who did not have air conditioning, or had air conditioning but co ...

. At the SUHI, he conducted research on racial disparities in breast cancer mortality among women in Chicago and other American cities. He also researched racial disparities in health in the United States more generally.

Death

Whitman died of cancer on July 21, 2014, at

Rush University Medical Center Rush University Medical Center (Rush) is an academic medical center in the Illinois Medical District neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is the hospital for the Rush University System for Health, which includes Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rus ...

in Chicago; he was 71 years old. He is survived by his wife,

Nancy Kurshan Nancy Sarah Kurshan (born February 4, 1944, in Brooklyn, NY) is an American activist, raised as a " red diaper baby", and best known for being a founder of the Youth International Party (whose members were popularly known as Yippies). Early li ...

and their two children, adoptive daughter Rosa Kurshan-Emmer and adoptive son Michael Kurshan-Emmer, along with his adoptive daughter, professor and writer

Imani Perry Imani Perry (born September 5, 1972) is an American interdisciplinary scholar of race, law, literature, and African American culture. She is currently the Henry A. Morss, Jr. and Elisabeth W. Morss Professor of Studies of Women, Gender and Sex ...

(from his marriage to Theresa Perry).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitman, Steven 1943 births 2014 deaths American epidemiologists Deaths from cancer in Illinois Academics from Brooklyn University of Pittsburgh alumni Yale School of Public Health alumni Miles College faculty Northwestern University faculty Social epidemiologists